CRAVEN planners have put off making a decision on whether to allow a couple to create a new home out of the remains of a stone building on Langber End Lane in Ingleton.

Members of Craven District Council’s planning committee were urged by Ingleton ward councillor Carl Lis to go against officer recommendation at Monday’s meeting and to approve the application by Mark Brennand to rebuild the semi-derelict building.

Instead, councillors, who were strongly urged to go with officer recommendation, voted to visit the site of the building - known as Nutstile House Farm - ahead of next month’s meeting before making a decision.

Located in open countryside, with the nearest property Greenlands Farm at 140 metres away, councillors were told the building was in such a poor state of repair, it could not be rebuilt and would have to be classed as a new building in the open countryside, which was resisted by both national and local planning policy.

Mark Brennand told councillors that there was evidence to suggest that a house originally stood on the site and that it had never been just a barn. He said it would be a rebuild, and not a conversion, and that he was happy to enter into an agreement to make sure it stayed in local occupation.

Planning manager, Neville Watson, told councillors that there were many buildings in Craven in a similar state of advanced dereliction and allowing the conversion of one could set a dangerous precedent. He further warned councillors against taking such a step while the draft Craven Local Plan was currently being scrutinised by a planning inspector.

But Cllr Lis said the council was trying to do what it could to attract young people to live, work and stay in the Dales and described it as a ‘bit of a Red Letter Day’.

“Here we have a young couple, the land is owned by the father of the applicant, and they want to build a home. We as a council keep pontificating about trying to attract keep young people in the Dales and here we have an opportunity to just that with the minimum affect on the surroundings. Both young people are working fairly locally and want to live in the area, and that is a rarity,” he said.

Cllr Lis added the couple were not looking for a barn conversion, but to rebuild the original house as closely to what it once was as possible.

“This would be a heritage asset, it would be an old house that would be revitalised,” he said.

The council needed to change its attitude and make exceptions at times, or watch the continued decline of its communities, he added.

“In ten, 20 or 30 years time, we are going to be saying what has happened, but by that time, it will be far too late, “ he said.

Committee chairman, Cllr Alan Sutcliffe, said approval of the scheme would be like ‘driving a coach and horses’ through council planning policy on building in open countryside.

“I am sympathetic with the applicants, but I feel this would create a precedent that would come back to bite us,” he said.